Kayak’s ‘What the future’ report

Say goodbye to one-and-done trips and hello to exciting multi-destination city-hopping adventures curated by an AI travel agent

Jan 17, 2025

In collaboration with The Future Laboratory, a leading consulting firm, the WTF Report combines social and cultural research, interviews with KAYAK executives and experts, insights from 9,100 people in 9 countries, and a deep dive into KAYAK user behavior.

Key takeaways

• AI agents: A new era of personalized travel agents is emerging. Travelers prioritize flexibility (38%), customized itineraries (37%), and value AI tools for planning (17%);
• City jumping: By 2030, 66% of travelers will prefer multi-stop trips over single-destination vacations, highlighting a growing desire to explore;
• Vitamin T: Wellness will be a key factor in the value of travel by 2030, with pools, spas and fitness centers at the top of hotel searches.
• Feedbooking: Social media will evolve into a booking platform. Currently, 36% of travelers find travel inspiration online, a trend that will increase by 2030.
• Low intensity travel: Travelers will seek out lesser-known destinations to avoid overtourism and reduce their carbon footprint (14%).
• Loyalty programs: Loyalty programs will adapt to meet the needs of price-sensitive travelers, with 29% seeking personalized rewards such as refunds when ticket prices drop (32%).

Get the full story at the Financial Times